45 Percent of Driver's License Applicants Fail Road Test
A fresh batch of driving examination statistics indicates that around half of applicants fail the road test the first time around, Postimees reported.
In the first six months of this year, according to the Road Administration, 11,613 people took the driving exam - which has a reputation as being difficult - and 6,442 passed.
The theoretical part of the examination - also considered tricky - was taken by 10,021 people, of whom 7,607 made it through.
"Not everything depends only on you when you're taking the road examination in traffic," Enn Saard, president of the Estonian Association of Driving Schools, told the paper. "Even factors like whether the person administering the test seems intimidating or an error committed by another driver enter the picture." Saard said the price of the exam should remain at the current 18 euros.
The Road Administration says the nemesis for many who fail the test is left turns, where pedestrians have to be let through along with oncoming vehicular traffic, plus the driver has to be positioned correctly in the intersection. "It's all too much for young drivers to deal with."